En Route To Zero: Let’s Unify Our Pledge
World Environment Day 2022 was celebrated in a stellar fashion thanks to a brilliant event put together by St. Andrew’s Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts (SAPP) and the Andrean Network for Dynamic and Inspired Educators (ANDIE) in association with the Consulate General of Sweden, Mumbai under the aegis of Zero Out Carbon (ZOC).
Titled R5: Remove | Rethink | Reuse | Recycle | Reduce, this programme aimed to sensitize students and teachers alike to the environmental crisis and take prompt and effective steps to mitigate the situation. It urged people to:
REMOVE waste
RETHINK what to use
REUSE items
RECYCLE what can’t be reused
REDUCE what can’t be recycled
The many components of this event were superbly knit together and provided the guests much fodder for thought. The afternoon began with a play performance ‘I Want To Be A Hummingbird’ written and directed by Dr. Omkar Bhatkar and enacted by Metamorphosis Theatre Inc. and SAPP. It advocates the love for greenery and gardens and stresses the urgency to adopt eco-friendly practices in daily living. This original screenplay illustrates the power of simple living and offers a seldom-seen glimpse into the mystical relationship between creativity and nature through music, poetry and visuals. The key highlights of this play performance were the impeccable research woven intricately into the narrative, treatment involving the generous usage of video projection, and the splendid stage design created using sustainable and reusable materials. The play with its message of “Do the best you can. Don’t be a bystander” was well received by both students and teachers alike.
This was followed by keynote addresses by the Chief Guest, Bishop Allwyn D’Silva – Chairperson, Commission for Ecology Conference of Catholic Bishops of India, Fr. Magi Murzello — Rector and Trustee of St. Andrew’s Educational Foundation, and Mr. Erik Malmberg — Consul at the Consulate General of Sweden, Mumbai. Subsequently, Ms. Anna Ehn — Nature Litter Expert at Keep Sweden Tidy Foundation gave an online talk on ‘Littering, Recycling, and Management’.
The guests then moved from SAPP to St. Andrew’s Conference Hall where they could view the exhibition titled ‘Re:waste — How Sweden Is Rethinking Resources’ set up by the Consulate General of Sweden. They learnt that an estimated 2 billion tonnes of municipal waste were generated globally in 2016, and according to projections from the World Bank, this number is expected to increase by 70 % before 2050. While high-income countries generate more waste than low-income ones, reducing waste requires everyone to do their part. The exhibition outlined the underlying problems, steps everyone must take to get out of the situation and innovations and developments in the market. They then proceeded to high tea.
The event received an overwhelming response from schools in Mumbai. It led every member of the audience to be conscious of their carbon footprint and sowed a seed of transformation for environmental conservation. R5 could best be described as a successful attempt to unify the pledge to live a sustainable life at the grassroots level.
